February 19, 2003

Lucerne has been ordained the white knight for Australian farmers grappling with a burgeoning salinity problem that already costs WA $240 million per year.

Frustrated growers from regions with acidic soils will, however, attest that lucerne is not for everywhere. The Grains Research & Development Corporation (GRDC) has therefore funded research to identify and breed more durable lucerne cultivars that won’t trip out on acid and also look for alternative herbaceous legumes that tolerate acid and fit into all farming systems.

One new project, run nationally through the CRC for Plant-Based Management of Dryland Salinity, is prospecting overseas for new germplasm and examining local undeveloped species of perennial legumes from genetic resource centres in Perth, Adelaide and Hamilton, Victoria.

Besides suitability for regional conditions, germplasm will be evaluated for its ability to tap deep soil water and for nitrogen fixation capacity.

Species already showing promise, including Lotus, Dorycnium and Galega, will progress to field scale trials across Australia before a final decision is made on commercial releases.

Spreading evaluation nationally, across five sites, will help identify how broadly specific species may be applied and will guard against anomalies, such as extreme weather events, invalidating research findings.

Each state has identified its own evaluation sites based on the occurrence of recharge and the challenges of growing lucerne, due either to acidity, waterlogging or climate. WA’s research node will be managed by the Department’s Geoff Moore and Phil Nichols.

The project also hopes to identify salt tolerant legume ground cover for salt scalded areas to keep salt from being flushed into local streams with run-off.

With support from growers and the Federal Government, through the GRDC, the CRC for Plant-Based Management of Dryland Salinity will ensure all new legume species fit into cropping rotations or offer viable land use alternatives.